Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, set foot in Tawang for the second time in seven years as part of his visit to Arunachal Pradesh that has triggered strident protests by China on April 7, 2017.
Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, set foot in Tawang for the second time in seven years as part of his visit to Arunachal Pradesh that has triggered strident protests by China on April 7, 2017.
The exiled Tibetan leader was to reach Tawang by chopper on April 4 but, due to bad weather, he had to travel over 550 km by road from Guwahati to reach here. He was accompanied by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. The Dalai Lama, 81 , is visiting Tawang for the fifth time during his seventh trip to the frontier state that began in 1983. The Dalai's previous trip to Arunachal Pradesh came in 2009, when he stayed at Tawang for four days. This visit came exactly 50 years after his exile from Tibet. He was compelled to flee Lhasa in 1959 and cross over to India by foot via the Tawang sector.
Chinese state media had said on Wednesday that India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line."
The Dalai's first stop was Bomdila, the headquarters of West Kameng district, from where Chinese soldiers retreated after the 1962 war. A day after delivering sermons in Bomdila, he spent two days at Dirang, about 40 km north of Bomdila, where he consecrated the Thupsing Dhargye monastery.
(With agency inputs)
1. The Dalai Lama
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Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama adjusts his shawl as he came to deliver his religious teaching at Yiga Choezin ground at in Tawang District near India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh on April 8, 2017.
The Nobel Laureate covered 140 km by road from Dirang in West Kameng district accompanied by Khandu with a 30-km stretch of the route at Sela being partly snow-covered and having turned muddy and slippery due to the melting snow. Image courtesy: AFP
2. Dalai Lama delivers Buddhist teachings
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The Dalai Lama delivers teachings to Buddhist followers at the Yiga Choezin ground in Tawang District near the India-China border.
The state police and paramilitary personnel are keeping vigil along the 140-km stretch between Dirang and Tawang, particularly at Sela. Image courtesy: AFP
3. Tawang
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Tawang has been decorated with colourful prayer flags and flowers with the roads repainted and the drains cleaned. Image courtesy: AFP
4. Young monks await the Dalai Lama
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Young monks wait for the arrival of Dalai Lama at the Tawang Monastery, in Tawang on April 7, 2017. Image courtesy: Reuters
5. Jang Palpung Gompa Tawang Monastery
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Devotees gather to welcome Dalai Lama at Jang Palpung Gompa Tawang Monastery, in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, April 7, 2017. Image courtesy: PTI
6. Devotees offer prayers
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Devotees offering prayers to Dalai Lama during a spiritual discourse at Yid-Ga-Choezin, in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday. Image courtesy: PTI
7. Security in Tawang
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A security personal stands guard ahead of Dalai Lama's arrival in the Tawang district. Image courtesy: AFP
8. Dalai Lama waves to his supporters
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Dalai Lama waves to supporters during teachings after consecrating the Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh, on Thursday. Image courtesy: PTI
